Method and apparatus for bending glass sheets



15, 0 J. E. JENDRISAK 2,518,896

' METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING GLASS SHEETS Filed Jan. 10, 1946 2 Shuts-Sheet 1 3nventor c/osEPH 6 Gamma/m Aug. 15, 1950 J. E. JENDRISAK 2,518,896

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING GLASS SHEETS Filed Jan. 10, 1946 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 n no I l to r (Jose/ E O/E/YD/F/SHK.

Gttorneg pressure bendinsapnaratusfi l Fig. 2' is a P a FYiGWHOfL-IZDQ Patented Aug. 15, 1950 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING "GLASS SHEETS "JosephE, Jendrisak; Rossford', Ohio, 'assignor to Libbe'yeOwens-Ford GlassTG'ompany; Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 10, '9'4'6; Serial No. 640,246

1 V The present invention relates to a; method and apparatus for shaping of thermoplastic materials, and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus forbending'glass sheets to predetermined surface contours;

It is a. primary objectpf the invention to pm- 16 Claims. (01549-45 vide a'method and apparatus to' quicklyffefficiently and "economically" shape heated glass sheets to complica'ted, compound curvatures of a character that will be eigtreinely :difficultffif not impossible'to'produce with the equipment heretofore jknownff I Another object is' the provision of a different kind of bending technique, which combinjsf both gravity and mechanical pressure bending; a d includes the feature of supporting the-glass sheet against the bending force exerted "by gravity .until, the. glass reaches. a predetermined temsion of temporary supporting means forf the glass sheet which will automatically withdraw itsfsupport when the 'glass'reaches the desired bending em e a ure n a5;he d-P ssure rm i e that can :be swung "intoand out of; engagement with the sheet to be bent l i w b me m r 1 m?ar n qqu ine-the c se of therfo low ned scr n iom'when:t ken in'co, ection with the accompanyingdrawings; In the drawingsgawherein like;,num 1erals1iare employed to 'designate-likeqparts throughout the same: a; 251., L Fig.g1-,is,awside elevatio if a; bending deyice mb i vi vem on; and inqludine: a-5ma1e bending moldequippedwith a special, auxiliary,

device of j'ig with the thermostatically ,operable element, of the supporting means rem vediber l ss -u v en and-the yhinged pressure me nposition; E: i '1 Fig.i 3 is a fragmentar sectiontaken subset tially on the linei3 3 in :Fig. ;2 1;;

- Fig.- 4,;is a sectionahvifiw taken: a onthe line 4-4 in'Fig. and 5: Fig. 5 is a perspectiveilvieyvof Fthemretaining clip :for temporarily-holding" the glass-"sheet" to relation; I I I 'By the" method, and with the apparatus, of this (Fig. 2). "7

invention aheatedglas's sheet can 'be shaped to practically any desired c0ntour,"from a'simple,

' shallow; regularlycurved, one-way bend, tc a surprisingly deep and severe 'comp'oundfbend, of

varyingand" irregular curvature; with equal facility.' "i

"Howeven as indicated aboveg'my discovery has proved most valuable 'in connection with complicated, multiple "curve bends, and it will be described in that'connectionhere.

Thus, the particular embodiment illustratedin the drawings employs a, contourtype, male "mold I0, shaped to produce an extremely diflicultbend thatwas used in the glazingof military aircraft during the late war.

It jwillbe seen from theshape 'of the mold l0 (Efig..f1) that the bend inquestion involves a; relatively deep curve of medium length along theforward'margin of the glass sheet, beginning at the right and indicated at a; and that, after reaching its rather broad peak at I), this curve merges into a long shallow one, designated 0,

leading toward the left. On the other hand the opposite margin of the sheet; which starts from a diiferent level than the first, will ice bent over a curved which is quite similar to curve a but rises to a relatively sharp -peale e and then-drops quickly toward'its end along a short, shallow but relatively steep curve The contours of the two end sections of the mold are uniform except f or a slight angular differential indicated at 9', but the shape of the middle portion of the glass sheet, when bent to the mold contour; should loe of constantly changing curvature graduating from the form-of one marginalside; edge'to'that of the other; -In' addition, the entire mold is "arcuate in shape by-reason .of the longitudinal sides *beingcurved in the horizontal" plane However; eventhis intricate contourof double -or compound .coniclaend :can be readily accurately produced, in finished "glass sheets 'of high quality, :o'n' a' co'mmercial scale; by theibeiiding:techniquefof the present invention." Briefly 'stat'ed this :technique involves, primarily; fthe "supporting or the "sheet against bending forces during its initial heating periodan'd," second'fthe completion or finishing 'of the'bend by the application-"bf mechanicarpr'essure.

'rInwaddition7'to the bendinginold'll'll,already referred to, the apparatus shown in thedrajwihg gwutimy special bending"method" in- -date the full number.

cludes a temporary supporting means for the glass which is designated in its entirety by the numeral 1 i, and a pressure member t2 hinged to the mold as at 13.

The mold I6 is preferably of the peripheral type and is made up of the two longitudinally curved, sheet metal sides Hi and I5, of different lengths; and two shorter, straight, sheet metal ends it and il connecting the longitudinal sides. The upper edges of the sides l4 and I5, and the end It; are formed to provide the shaping surface of the mold; and a bracing member 1'8 running from the corner formed by the juncture of the end It and'side i l to the side t5, also has; its upper; edge curved to conform to the curvature desired in the finished glass sheet at that point.

The lower portion of the mold, H] has been broken away, but it can take any convenient" shape and may be supported on a skeleton metal framework if desired. The exact type of mold base or standard is not important except that it should be such a to permit the mold to be readily positioned within the particular kind of heating or bending kiln that it is intended to use.

Located at one end of the mold I is a sheet edge holder 18' (Figs 1 and 3) for initially positioning and maintaining the glass'to'be bent in contact with the shaping surface of the mold. The holder is essentially channel-shaped and includes a substantially U shaped metal shell 1'9; welded to the with openings 2! in its rear wall, which also ex-s tend through the metal shell 19, to allow circulation of air and prevent chill cracking of the glass.

The apparatus shown is capable of bending up to four sheets of glass of varying thickness at* one time, and the block 26 is made to accommo- However, better results have been had when only two sheets are bent at a time, and in these circumstances it is desirabl'e to' use a filler wedge as shown at 22 (Fig. 1). As also illustrated in this figure, when a pair of glass sheets'23 to be bent are placed above the mold Ii) with their edges 24' wedged in the block 25'', the marginal portion of the lower sheet 230; that is adjacent the edge as will be against theshaping surface of the mold, while the body of the glass sheets and their opposite ends 25 will be suspended in the air above the mold.

A foundation for the means I I, which supports the glass sheets against bending while they are .being heated up to the desired bending tempera- .-ture, is provided by a pair of angle irons 2B" and 2! extending outwardly and upwardly from the end 16 of the mold l 0' and having their outer ends connected by a cross angle iron 28. Welded, or

otherwise attached, to the upper web of the cross angle 28 is a looped bracket 29 (Figs. 2 and 4),

adapted to support a strip of glass 30 lying' between the bracket 29 and the free end 25' of the glass sheets :23.

In order to maintainthe strip 30 and the sheets 23 in assembled relation for the proper length of time; there is provided a metal retaining clip 3| (Figs. 1 and This clip is preferably made from a substantially square sheet of thin sheet metal 4 than the portion that is bent into the rest of the Ll shape 32; and this extra length is then bent back to form the retaining flanges 35 and Also,

end of thestrip at is received between the fian e the edges 250i the glass sheets 23, and the 111.,

3 3 and tongue 31, being prevented from slippi laterally out of place by the retaining flanges and 36.

The hinged pressure member i2 is in the form of a three-sided frame, conforming in shape but slightly larger than the mold is so that when in lowered position (as shown in Fig. 2 and indica ed in broken lines inFig. 1) the member i2 fits over the mold it and is equally spaced outwardly therefrom on all three sides. The hinge point 53 of the pressure member i2 is provided by a rod 38, extending parallel with the rear end i? of the mold Hi and welded to a pair of channel irons 39 extending rearwardly therefrom. A pair ofangle irons dilfit over, and are swingably mounted on, the ends of the rod 38; and the two ends of the member it are welded to these angle irons as at M.

' The bending apparatus just described can be used in connection with any of the well known types of bending furnaces or kilns, but is most 30' valuable in a continuous type bending furnace, for example like that disclosed in the patent to C. F. Binkert and myself 2,337,849, issued June 12, 1945. In such a kiln type furnace, the bending mold is mounted on suitable carriages which carry it into and. through various heating zones.

With my present invention I prefer to divide the furnace into four zones, namely, (1) a preheating zone, (2) a prebending zone, (3) a bending zone, and (4) a cooling zone. The length and temperatures of these several zones, and the length of time the glass sheets spend in each one, will vary with a number of different factors. However, time, temperature and space should be so balanced that: in the preheating zone the glass sheet will be gradually raised to the desired bending temperature; as the mold moves through the prebending zone the glass should be soft enough to take an initial bend that conforms roughly to the shape of the mold;

v in the bending zone the glass sheets are brought to final form which exactly duplicate the contour of the bending mold itself; and in the cooling zone the bends are set and the sheets conditioned to face the outside atmosphere.

In practicing my invention, molds ID are mountedon suitable furnace carriages and, as fast as the molds are loaded, the cars are moved into and through the furnace, emerging at the discharge end with the glass sheets thereon lproperly shaped and ready for use. Loading the molds consists in placing the glass sheets thereon in the manner shown in Fig. 1 with a glass strip 30 supporting the ends 25 of .the sheets 23.

The fact that the glass sheet to be bent is arranged in the manner shown is important to" the formation of accurate bends because the free end of the sheets, inwhich the greatest bending must takeplace, is toward the cap or hottest part of the furnace; while the lower portion of the sheets, which requires considerable less shaping, is in a cooler strata of the furnace. This also prevents sagging of the lower part of the sheets into the mold to give a convex instead of the desired concave bend.

The glass strip 30 serves to support the free fromone end only, aggravated by vibrations resulting from travel of the-car. By the time a mold has reached the prebending zone; however, the strip 30 will begin to bowdownwardly and to thus withdraw its support from the free end of the glass sheets. I v a l Because the strip 30 is of lesser volume or mass than the glass sheets 23, it will bend more 'readily than the sheets and-so will not interferewith their bending action once tlie"bending temperature is reached. Instead, the supporting strip will move slowly out of the way and serve to ease the bending glass sheets down toward the mold.

In other words, the glass strip 30 constitutes a upporting means for the glass she etsthat is I thermostatically operable to gradually withdraw its supportasthe need passes. "In the prebending zone, this temperature controlled supporting actionserves to prevent distcrted"bending j resulting' from the' st'rain's that would be set up' iii" the-gag by weight of cantilevered 'sheets,'and "the high te per ment; that part-01" thefur- 'nace." Moreover, because the speed and facility with which the glass strip' "bends is; determined *by' 'its mass or volume, these bending characteristics can be accuratayeomroned lbyvarying either the thickness or width of the strip used. Generally speaking, I have found a one inch strip of. regular plate glass to give very satisfactory results. Howeverl'narrower strips will .adlflld. more: quickly andeasilyg,--.and wider ones will resist bending longer and sag more slowly. Heat absorbingglass strips will of course bend faster than those of ordinary plate glassof equal mass.

The cross angle 28 and looped bracket 29, supportinghthe lower end-of. the strip 30, and the clip -3|, supporting" the upper end, are so arranged that, while-the mold [0- is within the "prebending zone-the glass strip will eventually sag 'far enough to-release itself trom both and will drop down -onto the mold carriage and outof the way.'-

Subsequently, and by the time the moldhas reached the -;end' of. the prebending zone, the glass sheet will have bent by gravity far enough to be i n contact with the highpoint band e on the mold shaping surface, and to conformroughly to the form that is finally desired. Indeed, in the case of less complicated bends, the finished bend may be accurately produced by gravity bending alone.

However, with a mold shape such as that illustrated in the drawings, additional pressure of a more positive nature is required to exactly reproduce the mold contour. This is done, according to the invention, by the operators reaching into the bending zone of the furnace with a suitable metal bar, engaging the loop 41 on the pressure member l2, and moving this member slowly down into contact with the margins of the upper surfaces ofthe glass sheets 23. The weight of the three-sided frame acts to gently but firmly force the preliminarily bent sheets down into complete engagement with the mold shaping surface throughout its entire extent and to precisely shape the glass to the desired contour.

Prior to being brought into use, the frame i2 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, being held from falling backward by the stop 43. This same stop also prevents downward movement of the frame ,8 I beyond the desired bending position to' where it might crimp the glass over the mold edge. The sides of the frame l2 are preferably made T'shape in cross section-to provide'a substantially continuous glass contacting edge 42; and the two longitudinal sides may be hinged at the middle, I or made of link construction, to insure maximum conformance to the sheet surface, ifdesired.

When glass sheets are to be bent on the apparatus just described, it is usually desirable to bend sheets'of larger size than are actually required. In this way finished lights can be cut from that portion of the bent sheets that lies inside of the "mold outline and that have not been contacted" Ill either by the mold itself or by the pressure frame. In the particular shape illustrated,'the finished lights are out along lines inwardly from and paralleling the sides I4 and I5 and the cross brace I8 of the mold ill. Nevertheless, it is preferred to initially bend a sheet that is large enough to extend outwardly over the end wall [6, although the straight outer end of the frame l2 may follow the angling brace l8, instead of, the wall l6, if desired. In any event, it will be'understood that theseand various other changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

'Iclaim: 4 I

1. In a method of bending glass sheets during which a sheet isgradually heated to the bending temperature of the glass,'the steps of supporting f both ends of asheet'to'be bent against the action of gravityuntil said sheethas reached a. predetermined temperature, and then withdrawing the .support from one end of the sheet while continujing tosupport the other end. w 1

*2. In a method of bending glass sheets during which a sheet is gradually heated tothe bending f temperature ofithe glass, the steps ofsupporting both ends of a sheet to be bent against the action I of gravity'until said sheethas'reached a predetermined temperature, withdrawing the support Ifrom one end 0f the sheet While continuing. to

' (support the other end, and applying mechanical I bending force to said sheet.

3'. In a method of bending glass sheets over a male mold and which includes, gradually heating .asheet to the bending temperature of the'glass, the steps' of mounting said sheet as a cantilever above the mold, supportingtheends of the sheet against the action of gravity while cold and during the early stages of said heating, and withdrawing the support from the free end of the sheet only when the sheet reaches a predetermined temperature.

4. In a method of bending glass sheets over a male mold and which includes gradually heating a sheet to the bending temperature of the glass, the steps of mounting said sheet as a cantilever above the mold, supporting the ends of the sheet against the action of gravity while cold and during the early stages of said heating, withdrawing the support from the free end of the sheet only when the sheet reaches a predetermined temperature, and finally pressing the sheet against said mold.

5. The combination with apparatus for bending glass sheets which includes means for heating said sheets to the bending temperature of the glass, of means for supporting one end of said sheets during bending, and temperature responsive means for supporting the opposite end of the sheets during the preliminary heating thereof 6. The combination with apparatus for bending gl'as's sheets which includes means for heating said sheets to the bending temperature of 'thesglass, of means for supporting one end of ing glass sheets which includes means for heating.

said sheets to the bending temperature of the glass, of a mold upon which the sheet is to be bent and against which a part of the sheet is supported before bending, and temperature responsive means for supporting a free portion of. the sheet from below during one period of the heating thereof and movable out of supporting position at a predetermined temperature.

8.,In apparatus for bending glass sheets, a mold, and glass member of less mass than the sheet to be bent for temporarily supporting said sheet above the mold.

9. In apparatus for bending glass sheets, a mold over which a sheet is to be bent, and a glass member bendable at a lower temperature than said sheet positioned to initially resist movement of the sheet toward the mold.

10. In apparatus for bending glass sheets, a mold over which a sheet can be bent, a glass strip bendable at a lower temperature than said sheet associated with said mold in a position to contact a free portion of a glass sheet thereupon, and means for temporarily maintaining said sheet and 'said strip in assembled relationship.

11. In apparatus for bending glass sheets, a

mold over which a sheet can be bent, a glass strip of less volume than the glass sheet asso-- ciated with the mold in a position to contact a free portion of a glass sheet thereupon, means engageable with said sheet and said strip for holding them in assembled relation and for releasing the one from the other at a predetermined temperature.

r 12. In apparatus for bending glass sheets, a mold, and a strip of heat absorbing glass positioned to temporarily prevent a glass sheet above said mold from moving theretowards.

13. In apparatus for bending heated glass sheets, a mold upon which a sheet -'can be bent, a glass strip positioned to support a sheet on said mold from below, and a swingably mounted member adapted to apply pressure to the top surface of said sheet.

14. In apparatus for bending heated glass sheets; a mold, a perforated U shaped member for supporting one end of a sheet to be bent in contactwith the mold during the entire bending cycle, and a glass member more susceptible to heat than the sheet itself for supporting the opposite end of the sheet above said mold.

15. In apparatus. for bending heated glass sheets, a mold, a perforated U shaped member for supporting one end of a sheet to be bent in contact with the mold during the entire bending cycle, a, glass member more susceptible to heat than the sheet itself for supporting the opposite end of the sheet above said mold, and a pressure member hinged to the mold for movement into operative engagement with the sheet when said last mentioned support has been withdrawn.

16. In apparatus for bending heated glass sheets, aperiphera'l mold, a glass strip, means outside the area of said mold for supporting said strip, means for temporarily connecting said strip with a glass sheet on the m01d,,a-nd a peripheral pressure member associated with said mold and mounted for movement into operative contact with a glass sheet on the mold.

JOSEPH E. JENDRISAK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 673,615 Connington May '7, 1901 1,248,582 Wiley Dec. 4, 1917 1,753,779 Ferngren Apr. 8, 1930 2,021,197 Owen Nov. 19, 1935 2,111,392 Galey Mar. 15, 1938 2,131,873 Goodwillie Oct. 4, 1938 2,301,125 Kramp et a1. Nov. 3, 1942 2,420,119 Boehm 'et a1 May 6, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number H Country Date 1,599 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1902 

